Borussia Dortmund eased past HEBC in the first round of the DFB-Pokal with a convincing 5-0 victory at the Volksparkstadion.
An own goal from Janek Werde in the 33rd minute put the BVB in front, before Daniel Svensson doubled their advantage soon after.
Samuele Inacio struck twice before the break while Fabio Silva added a fifth just before the hour mark as Dortmund stormed into the second round of the cup.
Here are some key talking points from the game:
1) A night of redemption for Inacio
On Saturday, Samuele Inacio's Bundesliga season got off to the worst possible start as the 18-year-old was sent off for a rash challenge on Hamburg's Bakery Jatta in the 77th minute, having only been on the pitch for just three. If that wasn't enough, he was seen pelting a water bottle at the club's logo inside the tunnel which drew him additional flak from the fans.
But Kovac, who defended the star in his post-match comments, retained his faith in him and started him in their cup game here (also because his suspension only applies in the league, not domestic cup) and Inacio duly repaid it with a talismanic performance, capped off with a sensational brace.
2) Vintage Julian Ryerson
Dortmund's assist king is back, and how! After two games without any direct goal-contribution, Ryerson stormed back onto the scoresheet with two assists on Tuesday, teeing up Daniel Svensson for 2-0 and then again for Inacio for their fourth.
Having finished last term with a career-best tally of 18 assists, he's now finally off the mark for the new season too. And importantly, it was Ryerson who forced the Janek Werde own goal, as the right-back's attempt to pass inside the box was inadvertently turned into the net by the HEBC midfielder.
3) Silva 2, Guirassy 1
If Fabio Silva had told you that he'd have more goals than Serhou Guirassy within their first three games of the 2026-27 season, then you might have probably laughed it off. But, the Portuguese ace has pulled off exactly that, scoring his second goal of the campaign last night to race ahead of Guirassy, who has just one.
As expected, Kovac started him upfront in place of the Guinean, who opened his account in the Bundesliga on the opening day win over Hamburg but remained an unused substitute here. Silva, however, made sure he wasn't really needed, thumping in their fifth of the evening as the 24-year-old is quickly emerging as a reliable scoring outlet for the BVB.
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